Advantage of StG 44?

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Advantage of StG 44?

#1

Post by stg 44 » 30 Aug 2015, 22:42

What sort of combat advantage did the StG 44 give to an infantry squad, platoon, company, and battalion vs. one equipped with bolt action rifles or even a Garand?

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#2

Post by pintere » 31 Aug 2015, 00:49

It's an assault rifle, right? I think it's greatest advantage is it's utility for both close-combat and fighting over longer distances. Most bolt-action rifles of WWII were overpowered, geared for combat at ranges far above the average. And yet the SMG's of the time were inferior when fighting in open country. Equipping infantry units with assault rifles gave them the ability to fight effectively at all combat ranges they'd be expected to fight.


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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#3

Post by jbaum » 31 Aug 2015, 06:21

The ability to shoot 20 or more cartridges without reloading is a definite advantage. The lighter cartridges enable more ammunition to be carried for a given weight. The StG is shorter than a full sized rifle, enabling quicker handling in close fighting (house to house). Automatic fire is also especially advantageous in close quarter combat, and the less powerful cartridge allows a quicker reacquisition of a target.
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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#4

Post by stg 44 » 31 Aug 2015, 16:42

Is it enough of an advantage to have noticeable effect at the battalion level and below? How much can that be noticeable above the battalion level?
Does this article make a solid point?
http://smallarmsoftheworld.com/display. ... icles=2549

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#5

Post by Gary Kennedy » 31 Aug 2015, 18:16

This was an excerpt from a German manual sent to me quite a few years ago re the MP44/Stg44. I've tried to run it through translate, but you know how that goes sometimes!

"Die Feuer- und Stoßkraft ist wesentlich verstärkt worden. Dies wurde erreicht;

a) Durch Eingliederung von 2 MP.-Zügen (Stoßzüge). Diese Züge sind durch die hohe Feuerkraft und Feuerbereitschaft ihrer Waffen besonders geeignet zur stoßtrupp-artigen Kampfführung im Angriff und in der Verteidigung (Einbruch, Gegenstoß). Ihr Einsatz erfolgt an Brennpunkten der Abwehr, besonders in solchem Gelände, das infolge seiner Unübersichtlichkeit weittragende Waffen (le. und s. MG., m. und s. Gr.W., le. I.G.) nicht voll zur Wirkung kommen lässt.

Die MP.44 verfügt bis zu 400 m über etwa gleiche Treffgenauigkeit wie das Gewehr. Der Wert dieser vollautomatischen Waffe liegt in ihrer hohen Feuergeschwindigkeit und Treffsicherheit im Einzelfeuer (22-28 Schuß/Min.) sowie in der Möglichkeit der Feuersteigerung zu Feuerstößen von 2-3 Schuß. Im allgemeinen wird Einzelfeuer abgegeben. Vom Feuerstoß ist nur im Nahkampf (Einbruch, Gegenstoß, Nachtkampf) Gebrauch zu machen.Auf straffe Feuerzucht und Munitionstaktikist zu achten,da die Kurzpatrone nicht durch die normale Gewehr- und MG.-Munition ersetzt werden kann.[...]"

"The fire and impact force has been significantly strengthened. This has been achieved;

a) Through inclusion of 2 MP. platoons (assault). These features are particularly useful due to the high firepower and overwatch their weapons for combat patrol-type warfare in attack and in defence (raid(?), counter-attack). They are used at focal points of defence, particularly in such terrain, the result of its complexity far-reaching weapon (light & heavy MG., medium and heavy mortars, light IG) can not be fully effective.

The MP.44 offers up to 400 m over approximately the same accuracy as the rifle. The value of this fully automatic weapon is its high rate of fire and accuracy in single shots (22-28 rounds / min.) As well as in the possibility of increasing to fire bursts of 2-3 shot. In general, single shots [are] discharged. From burst only in close combat (raid, counter-attack, nightfighting) is to exercise. In strict fire discipline and ammunition staktikist (expenditure?) [be]respected, because the short cartridge cannot be replaced by the normal rifle and machine-gun ammunition. [...] "

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#6

Post by stg 44 » 01 Sep 2015, 15:47

Any idea who they were fighting against? Or what the unit was?

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#7

Post by Gary Kennedy » 01 Sep 2015, 18:59

The passage I quoted was from a manual (should've put the title in the post of course);

'Hinweise für die Führung des Grenadier-Regiments einer Volks-Grenadier-Division', OKH, 5.9.44

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#8

Post by ChristopherPerrien » 02 Sep 2015, 00:20

And it was cheap.

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#9

Post by stg 44 » 02 Sep 2015, 01:37

The StG44 was only 10% cheaper than the Kar98, which is why they put effort into the StG45:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StG_45%28M%29

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#10

Post by John Hilly » 03 Sep 2015, 15:13

ChristopherPerrien wrote:And it was cheap.
Yeah, but difficult to manufacture, becuse there were much parts to machine.

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#11

Post by Dunnigan » 17 Sep 2015, 21:09

At first upon reading this I thought to myself, "of course the StG 44 had a larger combat advantage", but then I started to think into it. Certainly the StG 44 would bring more rate of fire than a Kar98k or more firepower than an MP40. I wonder, however, about their distribution. As I understood it, the StG 44 was to be in use in the SMG squads in place of the MP40's. The make up of this squad was 9 x SMG's. This would mean that if an entire squad is equipped with the StG 44, they would roughly have the same rate of fire but more weight in lead and slightly longer lethality range. What the SMG squad lacked, however, was a dedicated MG. The MG's were assigned at the Rifle Squad level and Platoon HQ. The MG being the predominant "killer" in the platoon, I don't know how much the StG 44 added to the overall firepower of the platoon (and upwards to company and battalion) if it was just a replacement for the MP40. The StG 44 by itself was an improvement for the individual soldier and if used to replace Kar98k and MP40's, then yes, but on the scale that they were distributed, the advantage may have been only slight I'll wager.

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#12

Post by ChristopherPerrien » 18 Sep 2015, 06:53

John Hilly wrote:
ChristopherPerrien wrote:And it was cheap.
Yeah, but difficult to manufacture, because there were much parts to machine.

With best, J-P :milwink:
I have to disagree on this. IIRC, The Stg-44 used metal stampings, "fewer machined parts?" , and a rough, non-fitted butt stock, so was easier, cheaper, and faster to make than a finished Kar98.

The tactical advantages have been well established.

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Re: Advantage of StG 44?

#13

Post by JBbelgium » 18 Sep 2015, 18:52

Bolt action rifles are powerful but slow to reload. MP40's are fast-firing but short-ranged. The StG has the best of both.
I am not so sure if it had much advantages over semi-automatic rifles like the Gewehr 43 or captured SVT40's. I don't think that it is lighter than the SVT40 or G43. It seems to be a trade-off between magazine capacity and range.

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